Kissing Away the Pain
by RawrToxi
Summary: "As you are the last living relative he now falls under your care. Effective immediately." Cold realization settled. I ... was going to be a mother. "N-no, are you crazy old man! I-I don't know ... I can't do this alone!" Kakashi placed his hands on my face and forced my eyes to focus. "You won't do this alone. I promise." Eventual Kakashi/OC and adoption of Naruto Rated T for lang
1. Chapter 1

_Ah! Hello there! I humbly welcome you to the first chapter of this new story. I'm pretty sure I don't need to start a new story, but I currently find myself in an increasingly stressful and depressing situation, and I thought 'Hey, isn't that a good idea?', so here I am, flowing feelings onto paper (metaphorically speaking). Despite this I am a rather happy person so don't worry if this will be something you'll read and then want to curl up into a corner and cry, I'm not that type of writer. I simply invite you along for a ride, whether you enjoy it is up to you, and you won't offend me if you don't. I threw around some ideas, and this my friends, is the product. Please enjoy, and have a nice day._

* * *

**Disclaimer: I own nothing other than a few paperclips and some pocket lint ...**

**Rating: T for language**

**Summary: Intro**

* * *

****"Our happiness or unhappiness depends far more on the way we meet events of life rather than on the nature of those events themselves."

_- Wilhelm von Humboldt_

* * *

_taptaptaptaptap ... click, taptap ... click click tap ..._

Repetitive tapping noises, an occasional pause of silent contemplation, some more taps, a quick slurp punctuated with more rapid tapping. Occasionally a soft-spoken curse was uttered.

These were the only sounds I was focused on as I stared at my laptop, busy tapping away on the small keyboard, taking only a moment to hastily sip hot tea from a tacky green disposable paper mug. I frowned at the e-mail in front of me. Quickly opening up a new e-mail document I hastily typed away a polite reply. I hate being polite, but people always get offended when you speak the truth, and I wasn't in the mood to get chewed out by the chief because I hurt someone's delicate feelings.

"Ne, what idiot decides that it's a good idea to get revenge on his ex-girlfriend by breaking into her house to only 'talk' to her, then calls the police when said ex-girlfriend beats the shit out of you, and claims that it's _her _fault?"

"Gah! Darn it Kakashi, I told you to stop doing that!" I nearly jumped out of my chair as I heard his voice suddenly in my ear. I swiveled around in my chair, glaring at my partner. He just sat there, face in front of mine, smiling under that mask. I narrowed my eyes further, then darted out my hand to smack him.

"Ow! Why are you always so aggressive Jimmy?" Kakashi whined as he rubbed his head.

"Why are you always so annoying 'Kashi?" I retorted as I swiveled back around, finishing the rest of our report. Asuma would be on both of our cases if we didn't finish our report on time, not to mention I _really _didn't want to stay after work as our asses were chewed and spit out if Chief Fugaku got his hands on us.

I quickly finished tapping away on my keyboard, before I saved all the information and sent it underway for viewing and processing. I sighed as I leaned back in my chair, tired after having to deal with idiots all day long.

As I opened my eyes, there he was again, standing over me, smiling ...

"Are you going to the hospital after work?" Kakashi questioned me as I scooted my chair into him, causing him to take a few steps back. He retaliated by grabbing the corner of my chair and spinning it, and I pulled my knees onto the chair to keep from accidentally kicking him or damaging something else.

"I had planned on it, why? Got a hate date or something Kashi?" I asked as I my chair slowed down, conveniently stopping with me facing Kakashi.

"Hah, no. I was just wondering if you wanted to go together. Why, are you jealous of letting some other woman put their hands on me other than you? " Kakashi laughed as he answered and he quickly ruffled my hair, causing the short blonde hair to stick up. I gave him the finger before answering.

"Yeah you betcha. I love every minute I spend touching you as I'm _forced _to administer first aid to your bleeding ass!" I carefully patted down my hair before standing up and throwing my jacket over my uniform. I grabbed my car keys and powered my laptop off before shoving it into its case and swinging it over my shoulder.

"That was _one _time! Why do you keep bringing it up!" Kakashi whined as he also got his stuff together before joining me as we walked to the elevator.

"Because seeing the oh so famous Kakashi Hatake laying on the ground with blood pouring from his butt cheek is something that no one will ever forget, especially not me." I answered cheerfully as I pushed the button to the elevator. We stood side by side as we waited for the elevator to come up.

"T'was merely a flesh wound! But really, it wasn't _that_ bad. Barely worth mentioning really." Kakashi pouted.

"That's not what you said at the time. "Oooh, my ass! I've been shot in the ass!". If you weren't bleeding I probably would've laughed. But, let it never be said that James Namikaze never cared for her beloved partner." He'd never get me to admit it, but when I saw him laying on the ground, blood seeping out, I was the most terrified I had ever been, even if it was funny.

"Hmph, why I was shackled with such a spiteful woman I'll never guess." Kakashi mumbled out. The elevator finally dinged and I was surprised as I saw who stepped out.

"Minato! Why aren't you at the hospital with Kushina?" I gushed out as I saw my older brother step out.

He looked as equally surprised, but smiled as he saw me. He walked closer and gave my hair a ruffle. Why do they always touch my hair! Stop touching my hair, it's really not that big of a deal!

"Ah, she waved me off and told me she wasn't going to go into labor anytime soon, and promptly threatened to castrate me if I didn't leave the room and stop smothering her with my 'mother hen attitude'. " Minato curled his fingers to air quote the last bit.

"That doesn't explain why the mayor of this city suddenly decided to pay a visit to the lowly police department. Have you come to grace us with your presence oh almighty one? Should I bow down and kiss your feet?" I grabbed his hand and pressed kisses against it before he managed to wiggle it out of my grasp, and swiftly cuffed my head. I gave a squeak of pain and grasped the back of my head, sticking out my lower lip at him.

"Kashi! Do something!" I whined at my partner. He held up his hands in surrender.

"I refuse to get in between this insanity known as the Namikaze siblings." Kakashi defended his actions as he left me pitted against my brother.

"Hmph, I always have time to put my subordinate's in their rightful place. But really I'm just here to check in with Fugaku. Strictly off the record, things have been a bit quiet lately. It's starting to make my nose twitch." Minato frowned at whatever he was thinking about. Shoving my own fears aside I scoffed.

"God forbid your nose twitch Minny. Just be sure to leave some room in your brain for the rest of us, I'd hate to be forgotten in that huge empty space between your ears." I poked him in the forehead, emphasizing my claim.

He hmphed as he swatted my hand away. "Whatever James, just be sure to keep your eyes open. Never know what you might find." I stepped forward and gave my brother a hug.

"Me and Kashi are going to stop by the apartment and grab some things before heading over to see Kushina. Should I bring Hot Fuzz over?" I asked as I let him go and stepped away.

Minato rolled his eyes. "Might as well. I'm sure she'd love to watch that movie, for the _millionth_ time."

We said our farewells and Kakashi and I finally left the department drove to our apartment.

Kakashi and I had been friends since we were kids, our parents having been in the same social circle. When we turned eighteen and graduated high school we quickly moved out and decided to share an apartment, splitting the bills of living. We turned in our paperwork for the police academy on the same day, and now at the age of twenty-two and having graduated with honors from the academy, bigger salaries, shining recommendations within the department despite our inexperience and young age, and a seemingly bright future ahead of us, the topic of separating just never became an issue. We were best friends, and I was ok with that.

* * *

We dashed into our apartment trying to beat the rain that had suddenly poured from the sky as we were driving. We laughed as we entered our different rooms and changed into our regular clothes. I threw on some jeans and a black turtleneck, tied my old pink sneakers, and threw on a leather jacket. I walked into the living room and flipped through our DVDs.

"Looking for Hot Fuzz?" I glanced behind me to see Kakashi casually holding the desired disk.

"Why yes, yes I am." I walked over and stretched my hand for it, when he quickly moved the disk out of the way.

"Kashi." I whined, and the battle began. He dodged all my attempts at grabbing the disk, and we were both laughing, but I had backed him onto the couch. I moved suddenly and put my foot behind his, jerking it towards me and effectively tripping him, but he wrapped his free arm around me and we both crashed into our couch, sending it skidding back a few inches. I let out an 'oomph' as I fell onto his chest, but was able to grab the disk and hold it closely to me.

"Ha! I win." I chirped brightly as I lifted my head to look at him. He raised an eyebrow and scoffed, before shoving me off of him and onto the hard wood floor, gaining a squeak of protest from me.

"You're so mean Kashi! I pouted as I picked myself off the ground. He waved his hand dismissively at me. I walked into the kitchen and pulled a mug with a lid from the pantry.

"What're you making?" Kakashi asked he took a seat at the kitchen bar.

"White tea for Kushina. She can't have too much caffeine so it's the safest stuff I have right now. Besides, I buy good tea! She's probably moping she can't have coffee, but this should cheer her up. Plus I picked up a bag of snickerdoodles from the bakery yesterday, so they should still be somewhat fresh. I think she'll be glad to just not have Minato hovering for a few hours. "

After I finished making the cup of tea and grabbed the bag of cookies, we made our way back out, this time to the hospital.

* * *

I knocked on Kushina's door waiting until I heard a boisterous 'Come in!'. I smiled as I walked in.

"Jamie! Oh it's good to see you!" Kushina explained and she spread her arms wide, beckoning me for a hug.

"Hah, I come here almost every day Kushi! You'd think you'd grow tired of me." I set my items down on the table beside her bed before bending down and being embraced. For a pregnant woman, she still hugs the breath out of me.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Kakashi grumbled as he stood on the other side of Kushina's bed. Kushina laughed and gave him a hug also.

"What I meant was it's good to see you without Minato here suffocating me. You'd think with as worried as he acts, that _he's _the one having to go through labor soon." I laughed at her bluntness. "Minato aside, what'd you bring me?" Kushina asked excitedly, knowing I'd brought her goodies.

"Welllll, since I knew you were in the mood for some good action and comedy, I brought your favorite." She gave a delighted squeal and I presented her the DVD. "Hot Fuzz!"

When Minato had announced that he was serious about Kushina, I had invited the happy couple over. What he didn't know was I was putting her through the paces. No future sister-in-law of mine was going to have a dead sense of humor, so I decided that a good movie to test the funny bone of the newcomer was one of my favorite British comedies, Hot Fuzz. Minato was appalled at my movie section, but Kushina seemed genuinely interested. By the end of the movie we were both in stitches from having laughed and talked throughout the entire movie, and I gave Kushina my seal of approval. She also was excited that I had made ramen for dinner, and I knew then and there that she really was the one for Minato as she noisily and messily slurped up noodles and he just sat there and made googly eyes at her, not minding the table manners.

So it was a tradition that when either one of us was going through a rough patch of life, that we would sit down and watch Hot Fuzz and just have fun.

"I also brought a mug of white tea, and a baggy of snickerdoodles!" Kushina gave another squeal and attacked me with another hug. After spending an hour or so with her it was around nine, so we decided it was time for us to leave. Bidding our farewells, we drove back to the apartment.

* * *

After eating dinner I started rinsing our plates and putting them in the dishwasher. Kakashi was picking any other trash up in the kitchen. Our nightly ritual always involved cleaning. We were both too busy to do any heavy duty cleaning, but we needed to keep our apartment clean to be able to function properly, so we made an effort every night to do a little bit of cleaning, an effective strategy in keeping the place from becoming completely messy and disorganized. This was also the time I used to think over the day's event, and this is usually when we talked about whatever we needed to.

I thought back on my brother's words and found myself picking out the truth. Konoha had been relatively quiet the past few months, a blessing for such a huge city. The biggest thing we had done recently was bust a few illegal arms dealers, but that was drab in comparison to the things that had happened to the city in previous years. A growing sense of discomfort filled me, and I wondered if we should be on active look out. Turning around I leaned on the counter and looked at Kakashi.

"Kashi, do you think what Minny said was true? Should we worried?"

Kakashi stilled for a moment before sighing.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I think there's some truth behind his words, but I don't think it's anything to get paranoid over. But Minato is right, we need to keep our eyes open, if something is wrong, we can't afford to be caught off guard." Kakashi walked over next to me, and pulled me into a side hug, a wordless gesture of comfort. I sighed and let my head lean against his shoulder.

"I hope you're right."


	2. Chapter 2

She swung her hips back and forth to the beat of the music she had blaring in the kitchen as she flipped pancakes. The guitar solo came on and she used her spatula as a makeshift guitar and even spun around a few times, popping a leg in a high kick at the end. She had thrown on one of my old long sleeved white T-shirts, and it slipped off one shoulder exposing her black sports bra. She wore short pink pajama shorts, but had pulled on knee high neon pink and gray striped socks on. She was a mismatched creature of pure energy as she belted out (horribly off key) lyrics to whatever punk and angsty song she had chosen to blast at an obnoxiously loud volume.

I marveled how this tiny spitfire could be so odd ... and yet so incredibly cute.

"Hey! Stop staring at my butt! It's _my _butt, not yours!"

Or maybe just odd.

"Ne, but it's such a nice a-" My retort was interrupted as a strawberry hit me square in the forehead.

"So this is what you do when a man compliments you? I'd hate to see the consequence of an insult." I bent down to pick the rogue strawberry up and padded over to sit at the bar.

"Hmph, what man, I see no man." She grumbled out as she slid a stack of pancakes onto a plate.

"You wound me." I placed my hand over my heart and pretended to be hurt.

She snorted in response. "Whatever. You should be thankful I love you so much, I even bought fresh strawberries!" She drizzled syrup over the pancakes, artfully placed chopped strawberries, and sprayed on a whip cream. She then pushed the plate towards me, and I reached out to stop it before it skidded right off the table. I practically drooled at the food in front of me.

"Momma always said the way to a man's heart is through his stomach!" She chirped as she sat beside me with her own plate of waffles.

"Smart woman. Itadakimasu!" I thanked her before digging into my delicious homemade pancakes.

"Yeah yeah, you're welcome." She started cutting in her waffles and shoveling them into her mouth.

It was a ritual that on the days we had off, the first one awake would make breakfast, and I purposefully stayed in bed until I knew she was already up and cooking. Any chance to partake of her cooking was taken, and I'm pretty sure I die for a few seconds and go to heaven when I get to eat her food.

"Are you sure you aren't an angel sent down to cook for me? Will God be jealous if I decide to steal you for the rest of eternity?" I gushed as I finished my food.

"Che, flattery gets you nowhere Hatake. And I'm pretty certain that you wouldn't care if God was jealous anyways." She playfully poked me in my ribs and I gave a squeak as I batted her hands away.

"True enough. What are the plans for today? Egging someone's house, running naked through the streets, setting fire to Minato's apron?"

It wasn't a joke. Minato had an apron, and he _always _made sure he put it on when cooking. I can respect a guy in an apron, there's nothing wrong with them, but this, this ... _monstrosity _was a bright sunshine yellow with white polka dots with white lace as the borders. One day it will accidentally maliciously be thrown onto the grill and there will be much rejoicing ... except for Minato.

"We never even did those things as teenagers Kashi, and I don't think we could get away with it as stars of the police department. Besides I really just wanted to go out and walk around for a bit, maybe go to a few shops. I dunno, I really just want to relax before the next big thing pops up at work and before the baby comes. I'm so excited, we're going to be an aunt and uncle! I hope it's a boy because I think they're easier to deal with than girls and it'll be fun to dress him up in little suits and ties and then in a skating rat's outfit and be able to teach him how to play sports and when he's a teenager we can give him self-defense classes ..."

She rambled on as she went back and forth between rooms getting ready for the day. I just lounged on the couch and stared at her. It was almost like _she _was going to be the one having a baby. This child was going to be spoiled having her as an aunt. I wonder how she'll act when she finally decides to have kids

... But the thought of another man ...

I clenched my fists thinking about it. She could handle her own in a gun fight, and she was a scary deadeye shot, but if a man broke her heart, there was no telling how'd she'd act. She'd either go into an uncontrollable rage, or worse, completely shut down and close herself off.

If any man hurt her, they'd have to deal with _me. _There was a reason why I stayed laid back and calm ...

"Are you ok?" Suddenly she was standing next to me, looking down with inquisitive cornflower blue eyes.

"You know, you're technically the one related to the baby, I'm just some tag along." I ignored her question and made a statement, trying to throw her off an assuredly in depth line of interrogation questions.

She narrowed her eyes at me, sensing the topic change, and she pursed her lips. But it only took her a split second to decide to play along.

"You know as well as I do that you're a part of this family. Hell, we've been attached at the hip since we were six years old. And you're as excited as me, don't even try to deny it!"

I chuckled as I remembered how we became friends.

"You know, I don't think I've ever completely forgiven you for that punch." She rolled her eyes at my response, but there was a small smile on her face.

_"Hey! That's a cool truck! Can I play too? See, I've got my own car! Minny calls it a, uhhh, furry car? I 'unno, but it's red!" I looked up from my sand truck to see a girl with bright blue eyes, brighter sunshine yellow pigtails, and a bright yellow Tweety Bird shirt that said 'I'm a tweety pie!'. Everything about her was too bright. I frowned. Who was this girl? I had been quietly playing in my sand box, why is she annoying me? Plus, she was a __**girl**__, and girls had __**cooties.**_

She had been trying to say Ferrari, but that's a rather difficult word for a six year old.

_"You're a girl." A blunt statement, it was really meant as a 'go away'._

_She frowned, her cheeks puffing out in a pout. "Well of course I am stupid!"_

_I scowled at the insult, but she her face brightened and she stuck her hand out._

_"My name is James Namikaze! My Daddy is friends with your Daddy, isn't that funny? You want to be my friend?" Her hand was held in front of my face, and she waved it anxiously as she waited for me to respond._

_"James? That's a boy's name, and you're a girl! You can't be called James!" It was impossible, girls didn't have boy names, that defeated the entire purpose!_

_Her face contorted into a scowl. _

_"Yeah, you wanna do somethin' 'bout it Stupid? Yeah, my name is James, but I'm a girl! It's a girl's name too!" She shouted loudly as her face turned a bright red._

_"My name isn't Stupid, it's Kakashi! And no, it's a boy's name! Your parents must be the stupid ones if they gave you a boy name!" _

_I never expected her fist to move so fast, and before I knew it I was staring up at the blue sky and pain was blossoming in my nose. _

_But I wouldn't let some girl get the best of me!_

_With a yell I shot forward and tackled her to the ground._

And that was how our fathers found us, rolling around in the sand trying to beat the other one up. I got a bloodied nose and lip from her, and she had a nice shiner for a few days.

But we did make up ...

_"I'm sorry I called you stupid. I was being a meany butt, but you shouldn't have been a meany butt about my name. It's a girl's name too ..." I heard a grumble come from my side. Her left eye was swollen, but she seemed better than before._

It's always been hard to stay mad at her, even when we were kids.

_My stomach did flip flops as I tried to apologize. I've never had to say sorry to a girl before ..._

_"I ... I was being kinda ... mean too ..."_

_She didn't even let me say sorry as she rushed forward and hugged me. Before I could even respond she pulled away, a huge smile on her face._

_"It's okay! Can we still be friends? We can go get some ice-cream if you want! I bet it'd make your lip feel better! Sorry about that, but ..." She rambled on as she took my hand and dragged me away. She looked back and smiled as she rapidly talked and more than once she stumbled over words because she was just talking too fast. Her black eye was a bit puffy, and she didn't open it all the way, but ... she was really cute. Especially when she was smiling. I grinned goofily back at her as she continued her rant on why chocolate was her favorite flavor._

And with that first punch we solidified our friendship. Really, what's a black eye or bloody nose between friends?

"Your punch of friendship had me hooked from the start. You know I like em' feisty." I put my arms behind my head as I leaned back on the couch, wiggling my eyebrows at her.

She snorted and rolled her eyes and threw a bundle of clothes at me.

"Hurry up and get dressed, I want some chocolate ice-cream."

* * *

"Ugh, I can't believe you made me do that! What if someone saw me? I'd never live it down!" I whined as we stepped back into our apartment, arms full of shopping bags from various and random places.

"Mah, it wasn't _that _bad."

A sailing shoe went his way, but he managed to dodge.

Darn.

"Yes, yes it was. My eyes, my eyes! I'm surprised I'm not _blind! _Or that my eyes aren't at the very least bleeding."

He tricked me into coming with him into the bookshop under the guise of "I just wanted to look at cookbooks! You're such a good cook, I'm sure there's nothing you can't make ..."

If there was ever a thing I was a sucker for, it was people enjoying my food. And I _did _need a new cookbook since I had gone through all my other ones. Maybe something new couldn't hurt.

After flipping through a few books, I had finally picked out one called 'The Cookie Jar', and finally looked up.

Only to see Kakashi was gone.

_"Kashi?" I wandered the end of the huge bookshelf and peeked around. There were people meandering through the book store, but I just had to look for gravity defying hair._

_"Kakashi? Kakashi! Where'd you go?" Finally getting impatient I started walking and searching for any signs of my best friend._

_Only to find him in the 'adult' section, drooling over the new Icha Icha book ..._

"I was a bit worried for a second there that with how red your face was getting that you might suddenly explode ... or just pass out." Kakashi chortled as he talked, as if it was some type of joke!

"You'll get yours, don't you worry ..." I grumbled.

Suddenly, my back pocket rang, and I reached back to fish out my phone.

"Hello? ... Yes, you're talking to her ... Yes yes, that's me! ... No, I had today off, look get to the point or- ..."

Her eyes widened and she froze, her phone slipping from her gasp. Instantly I was by her side, grabbing her arms.

"Jimmy? James, talk to me. What happened." I looked directly into her face, and even though her eyes were looking at mine, I knew she wasn't really seeing me. She took a shuddering breath and her eyes finally seemed to refocus.

"Minato. He's ... he's been shot."


	3. Chapter 3

We quickly rushed out of the apartment and jumped into my car. My hands were shaking as I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles white from the tight grasp.

_"Hello?" I put the phone up to my ear as I listened for the response. I swear, if they call me in for another drunk bar fight ..._

_"Yes hello. Is James Namikaze there?" The voice over the phone asked hurriedly, almost in a jumble._

_"Yes, you're talking to her." I scrunched my face up in confusion. The department would've just yelled at me to get my ass somewhere, so this was definitely someone else ..._

_"You are the sister of Minato Namikaze, correct?" The voice asked, almost sounding like they wanted me to __**deny **__the fact._

_"Yes yes, that's me!" I snapped impatiently._

_"Are you currently at work Ms. Namikaze?"_

_"No, I had today off, look get to the point or-"_

_"I have some unfortunate news for you Ms. Namikaze. Your brother, Minato Namikaze, has been shot. He's currently in the Konoha Central Hospital in critical condition. Kushina Uzumaki has also started going into labor. If at all possible it would be a great ease of mind if you could come down. She has specifically requested you." _

My stomach was churning, and I wasn't sure if I could control my rapid breathing. I forced myself to take a few deep breaths and forced my nausea down.

"James, maybe you should let me-"

"No. I can do this." I cut Kakashi off before he could finish and I glanced over. His mask was back on, but the sight of his concerned eyes almost made me want to break down and give in. I reached over and squeezed his hand, before I returned my attention to driving. I shook my head to try and clear my mind, and focused on just getting to the hospital in one piece.

* * *

I marched into the hospital, running to the receptionist's desk.

"James Namikaze, looking for Minato Namikaze. I need his room number." I rushed out, I couldn't waste time trading pleasantries, I had somewhere I _needed _to be. The receptionist just looked at me in an almost offended way.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to need som-"

I flipped out my police badge and almost hurled it into her face as I forced it close, a growl escaping my lips.

"Look, I'm really sorry, but I need his room _**now.**_"

* * *

I raced down the hallway to Minato's hospital room, but a doctor stopped me.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry but Mayor Minato is about to go into emergency surgery for a gunshot wound, we don't need the press-"

"I'm his **sister **dammit! I need to see him! Minato!" I yelled out as arms behind me encircled my waist, holding me back.

"Calm down. You'll only get in the way, you need to be patient." Kakashi spoke into my ear as his arms encircled me. I want to snarl, to fight, but I could only hang on to the arms around my shoulders tightly as I fought back tears.

"Is he okay?" I asked, looking up at the doctor who stopped me.

"He's been shot-"

"Is. He. Okay?" I glared at him and watched as he shrank under my gaze. I wasn't in any mood to be told 'he'll be alright' and get fake assurances.

The doctor pursed his lips before answering. "The bullet went straight into a lung, but not through his back, meaning we need to extract it before it causes more problems. He's bleeding pretty heavily right now and we have him hooked up to a ventilator, we're keeping a close eye on his heart to make sure it doesn't stop. There's nothing more that I can tell you, other than it's messy." The doctor expressed his condolences and let me know they'd contact as soon as the surgery was over with.

I bowed my head and leaned heavily against Kakashi as he turned me around and fully hugged me, whispering things into my ear trying to get me to calm down. I gripped the front of his shirt and realized everything was blurry, almost letting out a hysterical laugh when I made the connection that I was crying. I sniffled into his shirt, before stepping back and trying to untangle our arms, wiping my face off with the palms of my hands.

"We need to check on Kushina."

* * *

Another run around the hospital and I ended up in the maternity ward. All I knew was Kushina and Minato were walking back to the hospital from the coffee shop right next to the place when Minato got shot. The stress of the events led to Kushina going into labor. She was almost right on time for her due date, but the doctor's weren't sure if there would be complications during the birthing process because of the duress Kushina was currently under.

This was supposed to be happy, a miracle. Now ... I didn't know what to think, or feel.

"James!" Kushina's face was flushed as she sat up in her hospital bed.

I stepped closer in my mint green scrubs that the doctors had made me wear. "Yeah, I'm here Shina."

She grabbed my hand so tight it almost hurt as I stood closer to her.

"He, he shot him James! We were, we were just walking back! Why would he do that Jim? Why? What if, what if he doesn-"

"Stop right there. Minato will pull through, he has to. He's going to be a daddy, and you're going to be a mommy. Both of you have to make it through ..." My throat closed up as I tried to finish my sentence. I didn't want to think any further, I just wanted to focus on now, just focus on getting through the night ...

"You have to be strong. For the baby, for Minato, for me." I squeezed her hand back, praying we'd all be ok ...

She looked up at me and I could see the tear tracks down her face, but she weakly nodded.

Then the hell began.

I stood with Kushina as she wailed and screamed, calling for Minato, crying for help. I whispered encouraging things as she pushed and endured the contractions, and it seemed to just get more and more painful as the night wore on. I tried to not let my mind wander to Minato, but I was scared, terrified really of how the surgery was going. Kushina let a particularly ear splitting wail and I refocused my attention back on my sister. We were going to be ok. We had to be. Any other thoughts were too painful to consider.

"You can do it Shina. You're going to have a beautiful baby and you're going to spoil him or her rotten with love and Minato will get the chance to show them just how easy it is to get you riled up and you'll hit him and then make up and everything will be alright ..."

Twelve hours later I heard the first shrill wail of a baby.

Kushina sucked in huge gasps of air, and in a flurry of motion the doctors scuttled around and the baby was secured in the hands of the head doctor. Someone grabbed my elbow and led me closer, and I was a bit confused on why I was being moved.

"Would you like to do the honors?" A nurse held out surgical scissors, and I found myself at a bit of a loss.

"I, what?" I stuttered out, they didn't want me to-

"Cut the umbilical cord. Go ahead, it's not that hard, and there's no chance of you hurting the baby."

This was something never _ever _in my life did I imagine I'd do. My stomach churned as I walked forward to the baby and the cord, gasps and wails filling the air, but time seemed to slow down around me. After several small snips the cord almost seemed to pop and the baby was quickly weighed, wrapped, and put into Kushina's arms. I slowly walked over to her, almost in a daze after all that had happened today. Kushina's eyes were sunken in and grey, but her lips twisted into a tired smile as she got to hold her baby.

"It's a boy." She rasped out weakly, but I knew she was proud.

"Oh, that's wonderful. I forgot to even look or ask. I'm so happy for you Shina." I wiped my face with my forearm, grateful this was over.

"Naruto." She mumbled quietly.

"Naruto? Is that his name?" I wasn't sure if I heard her correctly her voice being very low.

"That's his name. My baby. My little Naruto." Tears slipped down Kushina's face and plopped into Naruto's blanket he was wrapped in, and for a moment, I was so happy. Happy to witness this, happy to be here.

And then it was gone. A nurse called out to a doctor, and there was a commotion as several people in green scrubs ran about, calling things out to each other that I couldn't understand or catch.

"James, do me a favor." Her voice was so small. What's wrong?

"A-anything Kushina."

"Take care of him for me." She looked up at me and I realized what was wrong. A nurse was telling me I needed to leave, that there was something wrong, that Kushina wouldn't stop bleeding and that she had lost too much already.

"The best. I promise, he'll be safe with me." My throat was too tight, but I managed to choke my words out. I promise. He'll be safe with me. I promise ...

She looked up one last time, her blue eyes holding me to my words, and she nodded. She placed a small kiss on Naruto's forehead, and I watched in painful silence as her eyelids slowly slid shut. I sluggishly stepped forward and took the newborn from her limp arms.

He wailed at what I assumed being separated from his mother. And I cried with him at the death of a sister. But I sucked in air and quietly shushed him, slowly rocking my arms, trying to console the crying babe.

"It's ok little Naruto, you'll be ok. I'll keep you safe, you'll be safe with me. Everything will turn out alright in the end."

Soon though Naruto was taken from me, and Kushina was wheeled away. The nurse assured me they'd do everything they could for her, and I just numbly nodded. I stepped out of the room and just started walking, and before I realized where I was, I saw Kakashi sitting with his hands covering his face, elbows on his knees as he sat in a chair in the lobby. He quickly glanced up as he heard footsteps, and his eyes widened as he saw me. Springing from his chair, he rushed over to me.

"James, is everything okay? How is Kushina? James ... James?" He got closer and his hands slowly raised to my face, his thumbs brushing my cheeks .Was I still crying?

"Everything is wrong Kakashi. Everything." I let myself lean forward as I buried my face in his shirt, breathing in his scent, letting out almost embarrassingly loud sobs and sniffles. I let him cradle me in his arms as he softly rocked us back and forth, and I realized that I wasn't the only one crying and shaking. Kakashi's tears dampened my shoulder, and we stood there, just holding each other, trying to comfort the other person.

Hoping, praying, for something, anything.

What happened?

What went wrong ...?


	4. Chapter 4

Minato Namikaze was declared dead at eight fifty-two in the morning, October tenth.

Kushina Uzumaki passed away almost an hour later, at nine thirty-five, October tenth.

Naruto Uzumaki was born at nine twenty-four in the morning, October tenth.

He was a healthy baby boy weighing seven pounds and three ounces and measuring seventeen and a half inches. I knew Minato and I were bald as babies looking at old baby pictures, but Naruto had bright sunshine yellow hair that was already a thick mop of fuzz on his head. Squinting through the nursery window, I noticed there were faint lines down his face, almost like whiskers. Very few families had facial markings anymore, that tradition being abandoned now that it was modern times and we were way past samurais and ninjas. But nonetheless, it looked like Uzumaki blood was strong in Naruto.

I stood outside the nursery window, quietly staring at my new nephew. Kakashi had gone ahead and notified the police station, city council, and had called my grandparents Jiraiya and Tsunade. They weren't my grandparents by blood, but with as much as I heard about how active they were in my father's life they might have well as raised him as their own, and when my father died while Minato and I were young they stepped up and took us under their wings. They had as much of a right to be here as me, and if I was honest, I wanted them here too.

A weight settled around my shoulders, and I realized it was Kakashi putting his arm around me.

"He's kinda cute, ne?" Kakashi softly spoke probably not wanting to disturb the silence too much.

I gave a watery smile. "Yeah, he's perfect. He's going to be a real cutie when he gets older." I quietly responded.

"James!"

I snapped my head to look down the hallway. Tsunade was power walking down the hallway, Jiraiya walking closely behind her. There was a third person also, and I saw that it was former Mayor Hiruzen. I didn't really have time to question why he was here before Tsunade was crushing me into a hug, and I felt hot tears prick behind my eyelids.

"Oh James honey, I'm so sorry." Tsunade's embrace was warm and she had always been taller than me ... I felt like an eleven year old girl again after my dad had just died, and I couldn't hold back a strangled sob as I buried my face in the crook of her neck.

"They're gone grandma, what's going to happen now? What's going to happen to Naruto?" I sniffled and held back despairing wails and sobs. I could cry later. Right now, there was someone else who needed my attention.

She pulled back from me and wiped my face with the edge of her jacket sleeve, before placing a kiss on my forehead.

"We'll figure it out. Besides, that's why Mayor Hiruzen is here."

Mayor ...?

"I'm not mayor yet, but the council has asked me to take up the position again seeing as there isn't anyone else willing right now. I never thought I would be back in the office, and for such a heartbreaking reason ... Minato was one of my best protégés, and almost like a son, and now ... this ..." Hiruzen gestured in the direction of the nursery. I hadn't even thought about what the city was going to do when they heard the news. In fact, I didn't want to think about it. Life was messed up enough as is, but I knew I wasn't the only one hurting right now.

"Ms. Namikaze?" A nurse opened the nursery door and spotted my group.

"That's me." I pulled away from Tsunade and followed the nurse as she gestured me into the nursery room, and I heard everyone behind me follow.

"Naruto is a perfectly healthy baby boy and I see no reason as to keep him here. However, there is the ... issue of his, uhm, guardianship. As the last blood relative, if you choose to accept, he can go home with you after you sign the proper paperwork and assume the position of his legal guardian." The nurse talked as she flipped through papers on her clipboard.

But I froze as I realized the implications. I was going to be Naruto's mother.

"I- I don't k-know if I can. I mean, I'm only twenty-two and I'm just a beat cop right now and, I- I, w-wouldn't someone like Jiraiya and Tsunade be better suited for this?" I stuttered through my sentences as I tried to find a good reason to not accept.

"Didn't you promise to take care of him James? Are you going back on that promise?" Kakashi asked as he stood to the side of me, his face perfectly blank as he looked down at me. My face twisted into a snarl and I fought tears back.

"Of course not asshole! But I don't think I'm mother material! I don't know what type of parent I'd make! I can't just raise a kid on whim!" I managed to keep my voice low since I didn't want to scream and wake the other babies that were in the nursery.

"No one ever knows how good of a parent they are until it's too late to back out. However, I think this is the best path to take. You may doubt yourself James, but I've seen the way you act around the kids you have to pick up in your line of work. I've never seen you raise your voice, and you always have an extra teddy bear and a hug waiting for any unlucky kid that needs it. Jiraiya and Tsunade are not blood relatives, so they don't have any real claim right now, but you can be certain we're all here to support you."

Jiraiya nodded. "Of course, you can always count on us Jimmy. But I agree with Teacher, you're the best out of all of us for this. Minato would have wanted this, you know he trusted you ..." Jiraiya gave my shoulder a squeeze.

"B-but you're far away! I- I can't do this alone! What if-" My concerns were cut short as Kakashi stepped in front of me and put his hands on my face and forced me to look at him. He leaned forward until our foreheads were touching and I almost felt lost looking into his eyes so closely.

"You won't be alone, I promise."

And with that simple phrase tears started streaming down my face, but I managed to give a small nod to him.

"Alright. If you promise." I closed my eyes and just leaned against him, relishing the strength I could get from just being close to him. After a few silent moments I sucked in a huge breath and opened my eyes.

"I'll sign the papers."

* * *

Old man Hiruzen helped me through the necessary things I had to sign, and what would've been hours of going signatures and paperwork, Hiruzen just waved me off.

"I can speed the process up. You are now Naruto's legal guardian, effective immediately."

Naruto was gently placed in my arms by the nurse. Swathed in blue blankets and a blue hat on his tiny head, I felt a warmth spread through my chest as I looked at him. Right now, he was the most beautiful and precious thing I'd ever put my eyes on. I felt so happy, but a sharp pain went through my chest knowing that my brother and sister will never get to see this, never get to know this joy. I leaned down and placed a small kiss on the new baby's cheek.

Something good came out of this though, and his name was Naruto. I couldn't let grief get in my way of being a good parent. I'd make sure things were done right, and with a fierce determination I looked at Kakashi.

"I'm going to be the best damn Mom, believe it! Naruto will be safe with me, I swear." Kakashi gave me the first smile I'd gotten to see since we drove here, and he wrapped and arm around me before me ruffled my hair and giving a small chuckle.

"I didn't doubt it for a second."


End file.
